All boats require constant maintenance. It is a never ending battle between an artifact built by man and the hostile marine environment. Man cannot hope to win this battle, only to hold out for a while.
Hard
toolsYou cannot have too many tools. Think of the excess as ballast. These are the ones that you might have overlooked: a heavy 2- or 3-pound hammer, right angle screwdrivers both flat and Phillips, stubby screwdrivers of both types, extra Allen wrenches (because you will surely lose or break one), sharp wood chisels that you do not expect to use on wood, extra hacksaw blades, a stubby angle ratchet, a standard crowbar (if a collision holes the hull, you must quickly remove all the cabinetry there), a swimmer’s face mask with optional fins and snorkel, a heat gun or hair dryer (essential to loosen hoses stuck on their fittings), and a wax ring of the kind used to install a toilet (to press around a hole in the hull, after which you then press on a dinner plate or other flat object).
If you have an inverter strong enough to power it, an angle grinder is better than a hacksaw to cut away damaged rigging or the chain rode on a fouled anchor, but be sure to have a long enough cord. Often the most useful tools on board are a digital voltmeter, sharp knives (preferably disposable), and screwdriver-like nut drivers that fit all the various hose clamps. On the other hand, many lists of essential tools include some ridiculous items. A feeler gauge, for example, is no substitute for towing insurance and will surely rust out before you need it. The most expensive tools are not necessarily the best because a costly tool will rust or sink just as fast as a cheap one.
Practice at least the following without applying force or torque to ensure that you have the right tools: Bleed the entire fuel line, adjust the stuffing box (might require a special wrench or even two), replace the raw water pump impeller, repair the head, cut a shroud or stay that is not under tension, and cut a halyard or sheet within three seconds.
Soft
toolsSoft tools are often the most useful. To loosen any threaded fastener, use PB Blaster and give it plenty of time to work. To clean decks and topsides, try OxyClean. To remove the grime that builds up on shore power cords, soak in an OxyClean solution for an hour, scrub with a ScotchBrite pad, and rinse. ScotchBrite pads are also better than sandpaper when roughing up varnish for recoating. To polish stainless steel (stanchions, portholes, etc), use NevrDull, which comes as a sort of wadding. To prevent mildew from coming back, after using ammonia-based glass cleaner to remove it, wipe the surface with white vinegar, which kills the spores left behind. As a last resort when the diesel engine will not start, spray WD40 (but never anything else) into the air intake.
Why boats
sinkAccording to marine insurance underwriters, only half of all boats that sink do so while underway. The other half sink at the dock. Sinking while underway is caused by striking a floating or submerged object (40% of the time), a problem with the prop shaft or strut (16% and mainly powerboats), failure of a below waterline fitting (16%), running aground (8%), stuffing box leak (8%), storm or knockdown (8%), or failure of an above waterline fitting (4%). Sinking at the dock is caused by failure of a below waterline fitting (44%), stuffing box leak (33%), keel or centerboard problem (7%), flooding by rain (7% and mainly because cockpit drains were blocked), back siphoning into a head (3%), failure of an above waterline fitting (3%), or flooding from the city water hookup (3%). The maintenance lessons to be learned from this are to inspect fittings, hoses, and clamps often, especially those below the water line; promptly fix a stuffing box that drips when not underway; keep cockpit drains clean and verify that they drain well; and close intake seacocks, as well as shutting off dock water, when leaving the boat.
Smart
phonesA smart phone, such as an iPhone with its internal GPS and compass and inclinometer, can be a handy tool with the right free or inexpensive apps. They are particularly useful as backups for other systems or for getting a second reading as confirmation. Several compass apps have better features than the standard utility and work particularly well for taking bearings. They are as susceptible to deviation as any compass, of course. A magnifying glass app is perfect for inspecting dark and inaccessible parts of the engine. Sometimes it is nice to reach in, take a photo or video, and then study that closely from the comfort of the main cabin. Chart plotter apps costing about $50 have most of the features found in a $3,000 chart plotter and can serve as a last resort backup. A voice recorder app is handy for recording things that you might want to hear again, like weather forecasts or, perish the thought, a Mayday. None of these requires being within range of a cell phone tower.